In Ethernet (registered trademark) communication, TCP/IP that is a kind of communication protocol is generally used. In the communication for which TCP/IP is used, a uniquely determined IP address is assigned to each device in a network.
Well-known examples of an IP address distribution method for distributing an IP address to each device in the network include an reverse address resolution protocol (RARP), a bootstrap protocol (BOOTP), and a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) (Non Patent Literature 1).
Generally, in the IP address distribution method, a server that manages IP addresses determines, on receiving a request from a device in the network, an IP address to be distributed to the device. In this case, the server determines the IP address independently of a physical configuration of the network.